Devil Dogs
by brad395
Summary: Sergeant John Gates leads a squad into battle over the famous island Iwo Jima.
1. Waiting

**Devil Dogs**

Marine's Hymn

From the halls of Halls of Montezuma  
To the shores of Tripoli  
We fight our country's battles  
In the air, on land, and sea;  
First to fight for right and freedom  
And to keep our honor clean;  
We are proud to claim the title  
Of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze  
From dawn to setting sun;  
We have fought in every clime and place  
Where we could take a gun.  
In the snow of far-off Northern lands  
And in sunny tropic scenes;  
You will find us always on the job --  
The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps  
Which we are proud to serve;  
In many a strife we've fought for life  
And never lost our nerve.  
If the Army and the Navy  
Ever look on Heaven's scenes,  
They will find the streets are guarded  
By United States Marines.

Sergeant John Gates of Charlie Company sat and sang the famous song as he flipped through files of information on his next objective. He had short brown hair and was in his regular military fatigues. He would gaze up occasionally and then return to his various maps and charts. His unit, 1st squad, 2nd Platoon, of Charlie Company, was to be shipped out in the middle of that night for military secrecy. His squad was separated into three fire teams, 'D', 'E', and 'F', or Delta, Echo, and Foxtrot. The men were:

**DELTA**

Sergeant John Gates

Corporal Ethan Miller

Private First Class Mike Hunter

Private Gary Brooks

**ECHO**

Corporal Henry Rogers

Private First Class Derrick Myers

Private Jake Francis

Private Vincent Lugo

**FOXTROT**

Private First Class Steven Billows

Private First Class Ken Jackson

Private Larry Wilson

Private Nick Griffin

"Hello, _sir_." Corporal Ethan Miller greeted Gates as he entered the room that the sergeant had been studying in. Miller had been with Gates since Basic Training at Parris Island and the two were very close.

"Hello, Corporal." Gates smiled and placed the files on his bunk. He had recently been promoted, which made him Miller's NCO. Miller looked around the small room that had served as their home. It was small and smelled but at least they were comfortable. For the past months the company had been training at Camp Tarawa before they were deployed and Gates luckily got a decent room for the two of them. Miller spotted a bottle of whiskey on a round, wooden table and walked across the room.

"Forgive me if I don't salute you, sir." He said as he filled up a large glass. "Pretty soon _I'm_ gonna be in charge of _you_." He smiled. "I'm getting ready to make my move." Gates crossed the room and put the bottle of whiskey away in a cupboard.

"Getting ready to make your move, huh?" He shook his head, "You're all talk but no action." Miller looked up from the glass and rolled his eyes.

He gave a slight chuckle and nodded towards the cupboard. " You better start drinking too if you want to live through this whole thing." He took another sip and then returned the empty glass to the small table. The sergeant just smiled.

"Did you get one of these?" Gates asked as he held up a small piece of paper. It talked off how the men were doing a great job for their country, trying to boost the morale of the troops. Miller nodded and then sank into his own bunk.

"So, what do you think of _'Island X'_." Miller asked as he glanced over a magazine. Gates waited before answering.

"I think Smith knows what he's doing." Miller looked up and nodded. General Holland Smith or, "Howlin' Mad", was a respected leader.

"The Japs will fight real hard for those airfields. I just wish they'd tell us the real name." Miller said, taking off his boots and pulling a cigarette out off his pocket. "You got a light?" Gates nodded and handed him a lighter with the Marine Corps Seal on it. He lit his cigarette and then pulled out a small gun. Gates smiled as he put his lighter away.

"Are you taking that Luger into combat?"

Miller, still looking at the German weapon, nodded and replied, "If I need it, I'll have it." He put it away and they both smiled.

"How'd you get that anyway?" Gates was now sitting in a small wooden chair, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Well, remember my cousin, Randy, who was in Normandy?" Gates nodded. Miller was know picking at a sliver with his KA-BAR utility knife." He got one from a Jerry and then he shipped it to me."

"I'll just stick to my M1." Gates said, looking at his M1 Garand.

"I think I will too." Miller grinned. "Well, we better get some sleep. We'll be loading onto the ships in a little bit."

"Yeah, and then the long journey." Gates took off his own boots and blew out the candles that lit the small room. He climbed into his bunk knowing that he would not sleep at all that night.


	2. Invasion

**Devil Dogs**

Gates' eyes scanned the men as they were being carried towards the beach. Some were staring at the small island, not blinking. Others, vomitting over the side of the amphtrac that carried them. They were apart of the first wave and no weapons had been fired yet, except for the constant roar of the Navy guns behind them. These guns had been pounding the island for three days now, not to mention the planes constantly dropping routine bombs. Iwo Jima was said to look like 'hell with no fire'.

"Maybe, they're all dead," the sergeant heard behind him. Some men agreed. The rumor was going around that all of the Japanese were gone, due to the constant bombing. Gates doubted it. He returned his attention to the island and gazed at the large volcano that loomed over one end of Iwo. Mount Suribachi was what intel had called it. The Fifth Marine Division was to take this while the Fourth took the airfields and the Third waited in reserve.

"Let's go, Sarge," someone patted him on the back while urging him forward. The amphtracs had reached the beach and the men were exiting from the back, piling onto the sand piles closest to the water. Gates felt the mixture of sand and ash beneath his feet that felt more like snow. No one talked, but instead, everyone scanned the beach while gripping onto their rifles. Their lives.

Dead silence. A squad was told to advance, and then a platoon. The men walked slowly, cautiously waiting.

A burst of machine gun fire echoed through the air and a couple of men fell. Then came another burst, and another, and another. It seemed as though Suribachi was erupting.

Mortars, machine guns, and artillery were pounding the Americans and they were taking heavy casualties. The marines tried to find cover but there was none. They would have to advance. Slowly, bit by bit, the marines fought. Most of the marines were using flamethrowers, gernades, and other forms of explosives to clear the enemy bunkers. Gates turned to his men.

"We gotta keep movin'! We're frozen targets here!" He grabbed two marines and pulled as hard as he could. They turned, saw the determination in his eyes, and then charged with another group. Out of the corner of his eyes, Gates saw the men disapear after a mortar hit them head on. He put it in the back of his mind and continued ordering men up the beach. He came across a man with both legs blown off. His medic, Nick Griffin, was trying to bandage him and prepare the man for extraction.

"Finish up here and keep moving!" The medic nodded. "Keep your head down too!" He turned and saw Miller leading fireteam Foxtrot along with the rest of Delta. They each fired at the nearest bunker. Gates reached the men and Miller nodded.

"Where's fireteam Echo!?" He yelled as he shot at the Japanese machine gunner. The two fireteams were positioned in three craters that were caused from the massive bombing. Miller shrugged and sent Brooks back to find the missing men.

"How many we missin'!?"

"We lost Francis and Wilson. All of Delta's here though! There's Brooks." The private slid into the crater.

"Here's Echo, sir!." The third fireteam joined the others and also began to fire on the entrenched Japanese. Most of the men were covered in dirt or blood and everyone wore the same face: determined, yet scared.

"Alright," Gates started, speaking to the squad. A bullet kicked up the dirt next to him. "We already lost Francis and Wilson, let's not make more on the first day. Aren't you glad you joined the Marines boys!" They grinned.

"Alright, Billows, take Foxtrot up the left and try and hook around the bunker. Rogers, take Echo and go right. I'll go straight up the middle with two gernades. I want Miller, Hunter, and Brooks to cover. Alright? GO, GO, GO!" The men took off, each providing a steady amount of fire. Gates reached the bunker and heaved the gernades. Smoke and shrapnel flew out. The rest of the men that advanced fired their weapons into the small opening. Miller, Hunter, and Brooks caught up with the others.

"Let's go!" Gates was already moving towards another bunch of craters where they could take refuge. The men jumped down and quickly aimed their rifles inland. Again they began to fire at whatever moved or fired back. For the first time, the sergeant was able to look around.

The sea was covered with ships, LSTs, and amphtracs. The water with men that had just landed, and the beach with dead, wounded, and scared men. Everything was chaos and carnage. He gripped his M1 Garand tighter and looked at his own squad. He had trained with them since basic on Parris Island and learned so much about them. Two of his good friends had already died on this small volcanic island. How many more would?

"Sergeant, can I tag along!?" A marine asked Gates. He had joined the men and carried a flamethrower. Gates nodded.

"We could use your help. These Japs are dug in tighter than ticks! They're all under ground, the bombings did nothin'!" The man turned and looked at the bunker. It was a variety of sandbags, dirt and wood. Bushes covered the opening for the gun and overall, it was very well hidden. "What's your name?"

"Samuel, Dave Samuel."

"Well, let's roast 'em, Dave!" Gates smiled and turned to the men, bullets were still whizzing by. " Men, same as before 'cept Samuel here's coming with me up the middle. I'll be covering him. MOVE!" Again the squad members ran at the next Japanese machine gun. The soldier manning the gun didn't notice the advancing troops until the flamethrower hit him. The man jumped over the sandbags and ran, his clothes on fire. Gates and the rest of the men quickly mowed him down and he fell crunched over, in an awkward position.

"Come on! We ain't done yet!" The squad reloaded and quickly ran to the position of the next gun.


End file.
